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Gibbs .451 caliber bullets (Read 1455 times)

11/28/10 at 7:37pm

jolasa Offline
New Member
Bay Area, California

Posts: 8

Took the jump and got myself a Pedersoli Gibbs .451 muzzle loader. Arriving next week from Dixie Gun Works back in Tennessee. They were on sale.

Plan on both silhouette and long range (out to 1000 yards) shooting.

Need information on what folks are doing regarding bullet casting, resizing, lubrication. And powder choice.

I have seen that it is recommended that on cast bullets in the .448-.449 region, at 520-540 grains, so that the bullet will go down the barrel with just the weight of the ram rod.

And what about bullet type. I am looking at these moulds:
http://brooksmoulds.com/bullets.php
OR
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,8298.html

Bullets: creedmoor, Postel, rounded nose, endless choices!

I guess the ideal situation is to cast a bullet to the exact size that will go down the barrel with the weight of the ramrod, and that will require no resizing, but will require hand lubrication?

But if one casts a larger diameter .451 bullet, what about resizing down to .448-.449.

I presume I will need to resize and lubricate, using a "lubrisizer" like the like the Lyman 4500 seen here:
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,1596.html

Powder: Goex, Swiss, Triple7, etc? 1-1/2 F, 2F, 3F?

And - is there anybody in the Bay Area of California who owns a Gibbs .451?

Any guidance most welcome.

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Reply #1 - 11/29/10 at 5:46am

zrifleman Offline
Member

Posts: 43

I can share with you my experience with my P. Gibbs that I bought from Cabelas last year. My bore diameter is .449 and best bullet fit for me was .448. Bullet weight in the 530-550 gr range. I am not a big fan of Swiss powder but if you use it, try 1 1/2. I have done best with 90-95 grs of Goex Cartridge. I use a 1/8" dry wool felt wad over the powder. I tried RWS caps but had better sucess with CCI Standard caps. One essential is to get a platinum lined nipple as nipples burn out in under 200 rds. I had Rick Weber make mine plus a spare. The Pedersoli bullet will get you started but there are better. I would contact Paul Jones "after" you have slugged the barrel and got an accurate measure of bore diameter. Paul is arguably one of the best mold makers.

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Reply #2 - 11/29/10 at 5:03pm

paulbehe Offline
Senior Member

Posts: 283

Jolasa....One thing to remember is that if a mould maker lists their mould as .45 cal. it probably means it is .458 dia. unless they specifically say that the diameter is .448-.449 or .450 for .45 cal. muzzleloading rifles. If you go with a Creedmoor or postell style you won't be disappointed as long as the bullet fits the bore properly. The buffalo arms bullet looks real good to me. I use Swiss 1 1/2 for silhouette [40-70SS 45-90 45-100] and LRML and couldn't ask for better performance. Your rifle will let you know its' preference whichever powder you try. Keep good records of your load developement! Remember, your choice of primers and wads [or lack thereof] can make a difference too. Remember...wipe between shots for best results. Like most of the contributors here, I have preferences, but it is up to you to find the best combination for your Gibbs.....that's the fun part! cheers Paul

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Reply #3 - 11/29/10 at 10:30pm